Join Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society (DOAS) on Friday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom, for a presentation on Birdability’s initiatives to enhance access and inclusivity for birders with disabilities and other health challenges.

Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Birdability.org, and Virginia Rose, founder of Birdability, will delve into the organization’s mission, providing a detailed exploration of its efforts to make birding more accessible and inclusive, and how we all have a role.

This session will introduce the Birdability Map, provide information about barriers and what helps create access for birders with disabilities and other health concerns, and offer practical insights for creating accessible events and spaces. Attendees will gain actionable tips and tools to help create access and inclusion in their communities.

REGISTER HERE

Presenter Bio

Cat Fribley (she/her) serves as the Executive Director of Birdability. With a rich background in nonprofit development, a passion for birding, and a steadfast commitment to disability rights, she brings a unique perspective to this role. Cat’s journey into birding began in college, where it became a source of mental health support and healing following a PTSD diagnosis. Over time, a series of physical injuries and illnesses led her to seek adaptive ways to continue birding as a form of mindfulness and connection with nature, despite limited mobility. Her experiences navigating accessible birding opportunities while traveling to all 50 states have made her especially attuned to the work of Birdability and the importance of the Birdability Map. She now resides in Iowa City, IA, with her wife and two indoor cats, within a beloved community and among a variety of backyard birds.

Virginia Rose (she/her) fell off a horse at the age of 14 which resulted in a spinal cord injury. A wheelchair user ever since, she began birding 17 years ago and discovered her best self in nature. She founded Birdabilty in 2018 and leads accessible Birdability outings for Travis Audubon and at birding festivals each year. As a retired high school English teacher, she is passionate about bringing the same joy, empowerment and community she found in birding and nature to others who have mobility challenges.

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a free, fun, and easy event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of bird populations. Participants are asked to count birds for as little as 15 minutes (or as long as they wish) on one or more days of the four-day event and report their sightings online at birdcount.org. Anyone can take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count, from beginning bird watchers to experts, and you can participate from your backyard, or anywhere in the world.

Each checklist submitted during the GBBC helps researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society learn more about how birds are doing, and how to protect them and the environment we share. Last year, more than 140,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded.

The 28th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 14 through Monday, February 17, 2025. Please visit the official website at www.birdcount.org for more information and be sure to check out the latest educational and promotional resources.

“This count is so fun because anyone can take part —we all learn and watch birds together—whether you are an expert, novice, or feeder watcher. I like to invite new birders to join me and share the experience. Get involved, invite your friends, and see how your favorite spot stacks up.” -Gary Langham, Chief Scientist

On the program website participants can explore real-time maps and charts that show what others are reporting during and after the count. Be sure to check out the Explore a Region tool to get an idea of what you can expect to see in your area during the next GBBC.

Register to Participate at www.birdcount.org

For questions and comments, please contact the Cornell Lab of Ornithology or the National Audubon Society:

Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Inside the US: (800) 843-2473
Outside the US: (607) 254-2473)
gbbc@cornell.edu

National Audubon Society
citizenscience@audubon.org

The Great Backyard Bird Count is made possible, in part, by generous support from Wild Birds Unlimited.

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“Climate change is the single greatest threat to North American birds. Solutions are plentiful, but to protect more than 300 species at risk, we must act now.” —National Audubon Society, September 2024.

Approximately 30% of greenhouse gas emissions come from residential and commercial sectors in the U.S. (The breakdown for the remainder is 30% from industry, 30% from transportation and 10% from agriculture.)

2024 broke records for global temperatures and severe weather events. The 10 warmest years in the historical record have all occurred in the past decade (2014-2023). The financial costs of climate change are already being seen with evidence from record breaking damages from severe weather events over the last year. Repair costs are staggering and insurance claims are being denied.

Our community households and local businesses can work towards minimizing our collective impact.

Join Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society (DOAS) on Friday, February 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM on Zoom for a presentation with DOAS Education Chair, Susan O’Handley to look at ways to reduce your household carbon impact and why it is important to take action.

Register at https://mobilize.us/s/AVfczt .

Susan’s program will focus on seven areas where our households, businesses and community operations have carbon impact and will provide an overview of tools and resources to help you establish baseline data and how to track your progress.

Susan will also briefly overview her family’s own journey toward a carbon-neutral household, along with the financial and quality-of-life benefits realized through investing in energy retrofits to their 1902 Victorian Farmhouse in Hartwick.

Presenter Bio

Susan O’Handley has been involved with local Audubon chapters for over 30 years and has served on the Board of Directors for the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society since 2012 (10 years as a Co-President). Susan also works with the Audubon NY/CT Council Board which is composed of 27 Audubon Chapters in NY State and 6 Chapters in CT, and serves on the Advisory Board for Audubon NY/CT Regional Office as the Chapter Representative. She owns and operates a small digital marketing agency in Hartwick, NY.